India has qualified for Rocket League at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 after an impressive run in the Asia Pacific Regional Qualifier.
The team secured one of the region’s three qualification spots and is set to represent the country at the global nation-based esports competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 29 November 2026.
Rocket League at ENC 2026 will take place from 2 to 8 November, featuring 48 national teams competing in fast-paced 3v3 matches for a prize pool of US$ 1.32 million (Rs 12.5 crore). 24 countries and territories received direct invitations through the ENC rankings, based on player performances across all official Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) competitions. A further 21 teams secured qualification through regional online qualifiers across North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Apac (Asia-Pacific), while the United Arab Emirates secured the host region wildcard. Two solidarity wildcard slots for underrepresented regions will be announced at the end of August once all ENC qualifiers have been completed.
The Apac regional qualifier featured nine nations competing in a double-elimination bracket. All matches before the qualification rounds were played as best-of-five series, while the qualification matches were contested as best-of-seven. The top three teams from the region advanced to the Rocket League main event at ENC 2026.
India’s squad featured Abhai Ponna (Abscrazy), Karthik Raghunandan (Karvin), Aditeya Srivastav (Riyal), and substitute player Jayanth Engineer (Jay). The team was coached by Nirjhar Mitra (Jocse), appointed by Nodwin Gaming, India’s National Team Partner (NTP) for ENC 2026.
India opened its campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the Upper Bracket (UB) quarterfinals before falling 1-4 to Maldives in the UB semifinals. Facing elimination, the team responded with back-to-back victories, defeating Hong Kong 3-1 in the Lower Bracket (LB) semifinal before overcoming Bangladesh 4-1 in the LB final to secure qualification for ENC 2026.
Speaking about the team’s qualification, coach Nirjhar Mitra (Jocse) said, “This qualification reflects the commitment the players have shown over the past few months. They remained focused on continuous improvement, embraced every challenge, and delivered when it mattered. Representing India at the inaugural ENC is a privilege, and we will use the time ahead to sharpen every aspect of our game and compete with confidence against the world’s best.”
The first stage of Rocket League at ENC 2026 will feature all 48 qualified teams competing in a round-robin group stage across eight groups of six teams each. The top two teams from every group will advance to a 16-team single-elimination playoff bracket, with all group stage matches played as best-of-five and the grand final contested as a best-of-seven.
With this qualification, India has now secured representation in six titles at ENC 2026: Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Chess, Honor of Kings, Rocket League, Trackmania, and Valorant. The nation earned a special invite in BGMI and Honor of Kings. In Chess, grandmaster Nihal Sarin qualified directly through the official ENC rankings, while Mitrabha Guha secured his place through the regional qualifiers. India’s Valorant team and Trackmania star Kunal Upreti (Spark) also earned their spots at the global event through their respective regional qualifiers.
Attention now turns to the remaining titles. India’s Moba Legends: 5v5! squad remains in contention for a direct invite to the main event and, if required, will compete in the regional qualifiers scheduled for 15 to 16 August.
